Spring bumper



l Jan. 16, 1923. 1,442,144.

L. P. HALLADAY.

SPRING BUMPER..

I which the following is a specification. l

Patented Jan.' 16, 1923.

UNITED `,s'm'res 1,442,144 vPLA'M;NT oryrlcE.

LEWIS P. HALLADAY, 0F DECATR, ILLINOIS.

SPRING BUMPER.

I Application filed February 1, 1922. Serial No. 533,195.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, Lewis I. l-lALnApAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Decatur, in the county of Macon and State of. Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Spring Bumpers, of

My? invention relates to improvements vin autoi'l'iobile bumper bars of the type wherein there are, for apartofA the length of the bumper bar at least,'twof vertically disposed,

surfaces, providing therefor in effect ver tlcally extended spriney impact surface.

One object ofA my invention is to provide a,

duplex'automobile bumper bar with two Ver,- tically disposed surfaces forming a. plurality ofl vertically extending impact surfaces across the front of the automobile, preferably comprising a central elongated surface and smaller extended. surfaces at each side thereof and infront of and protecting the wheel.

My invention is illustrated more or less.

characters throughout the drawings.

A .A are the front frame horns of an autol f mobile frame.` A1 A1 are bumper supporting brackets attached to said horns. A? A2 are bumper-supporting bars proJectmg from the brackets.V A3 A3 are bumper bars supporting yokes carried upon said arms, adapted to engage the rear lmember' of a spring bumper bar and hold it in place. f

B'B are springbumper'bar elementsf It4 will be noted that they are exactly the same in size, shape and dimensions, so that when the two of them are reversed in respect to one another they may be put together to form the bumper bar herein' shown.- v

Each of these spring elements 1s made up of a generally at with 'slightly rearwardly curved irc-a member C, of such length as to extend ti :ughout about one-fourthl of the total width. t either end of ther` central section is an inclined section C1, these inclined sections of these two members crossing, as atCz, to form a diamond-shaped intersecting portion.v They may be secured together at thatpoint'as by the bolt C3. The outer ends o f the inclined portions are again continued by oppositely inclined portions 0*, which meet'at the outer `extremities C5 of the bar. At each-end of the bumper one of the bars is rearwardly curved or loopedand provided with an.' inwardly extending rear velement C,

,extending back aboutone-third the way'across secondary loop or recurved .element C7, whichterminates at the same place and in line with the intersection C2, at which point f it is lsecured to both the main bumper mem,

bersf vIt -is upon this recurved loop that the .clamps AB-are mounted. for lateral adjustment to compensate for vehicle framesof,

, vthe end of the bumper and terminating in a I various widths. The two bumper elements are crossed, as shown in Fig. 2, so that at one intersection, C2, the upper bumper liesv in front of the lower and at the other intersection the lower lies in front of the upper thev same reversed relation holding true, o course, at the ends of the bar.

In Figs. 3 and fl: a'variant form is shown,`

consisting of tw identical spring bumper bar elements, each comprising a central liorizontal portion F connected b inclined portions F1 joined as at F2. Tlie smaller extended surf'aeesat the side are formed with horizontal upper and lower members, continuations of the bar elements, as atF' F3', these again converging' at their ends as .at

FHF At the crossingpointsF2 F2 the upper'bumper bar is infront in the crossing to the lefti'igf F ig. 'Sand the lower one. is

in front in. the crossing' to the-right of 3. At each' end ,of the bumper one of the bars is rearwardly curved or looped, as in the case of the other form.' l i Y It will be realized that .while I haye'ili'usr;

trated bumper 'bars and bumper barelements 'which' arelpractical and have actually been constructed, ma-Iy changes might be madef` in the form and proportion of these bars and the relation of their various parts, vand, in the means by which they laresecured to each hother and tothe automobile frame, without de arting from the spirit of my invention.

Ihe use and operation of my` invention are as'fo'llows:l x f yThe arrangement is su'clv that the two spring loops` at eitherend afford a yielding `for the bar, which or flexible support for the central, laterally disposed section, of the bumper bar and for the enlarged end portions, the idea being that any shock or blow upon thel central or end portions will be absorbed both by the spring of the bumper bar itself and by the in general greater resilience vot' the reinforcing and supporting loop members.

The straight supporting bars are made of flat pieces of steel, looped at their ends, but these loops are of such radius and sii heavy and stiff that they have no spring function, and in any case the shock is absorbed by the bumper bar before these arms can act as springs. As above described, the arms are intertwined and bolted together at their ends and at two intermediate points. This interlocking produces a peculiarly rigid and durable structure and prevents any separation or d'isassociation ofthe parts, even under sudden distortion.

The arrangement is peculiarly advantageous in that three enlarged', protecting areas providcdfone in the @enter of the bar and another at each end in front of the wheel. The diamond-slraped end panels of the bar, fiu'tlucrmore,-insure a tapered end geous over a round or a square'end, since the'tapered point is not so liable to catch ontoor hook into fenders of other cars or catch on other articles with which it may come in contact. 1

The form shown in Figs. 2l and 4 provides a similar bearing surface before each wheeh and over an aven larger area, but also provides amore or less tapered bumper end.

I claim:

l. A bumper bar comprising a plurality of spring elements lying in same vertical plane and offset from each other to form a plurality of diamondshaped impact surfaces haring an elongated parallel-sided impact surface. tlurebetween.

A bun-iper bar comprising a plurality of spring elements' offset from cach other to form a plurality of widened impact portions and brought together at the ends` to form tapered end impact surfaces.

3. A bumper bar comprising a plurality of spring elements lying in roughly the lsame vWardly curved at each end of is distinctly adv'anta` roughly the vertical plane and oset from each other to form a plurality of diamond-shaped impact surfaces, one of said elements beingr rearsaid bar, and means for securing it to a vehicle.

4. A bumper bar comprising a plurality of spring elements lying in roughly the samervertical plane and offset frein each other to form a plurality of diamondshaped impact surfaces, the end of one ofy saidv spring elements `at each end of the bumper bsar being rearwardly curvedto form a closed loop, and means for securing such loop to the vehicle.

A bumper bar comprising a plurality of interlaced spring elements each compris ing in part a horizontal portion and a plurality of straight portions inclined thereto,

the end of one of said spring elements at each end ot the bumper bar being rearwardly curved to form a closed loop, uml means for securing such loop to the vehicle.

(l. A bumper bar comprising a plurality of zigzag spring elements lying in roughly the same vertical plane and adapted to intersect and be secured to Ieach other at a plurality of points, the end of one ot said spring elements at each end ot the bumper bar being rearwardly curved to form a closed loop, and means for securing such loop to the vehicle. i

7. A bumper bar comprising a plurality of spring elements lying in roughly the same vertical'lplane and offset from each other to form a plurality of inclined ended impact surfaces, the end of one of spring elements at each end of the bum-per bar being rearwardly curved, and Ineans for securing it to the vehicle.

S. A bumper bar comprising a plurality of pring elements lying in roughly the sam' vertical plane and offset from each other to form a plurality of inclined ended impact surfaces` one of said surfaces forming a long central impact member, and one of the shorter surfaces at each end of the bar being aligned in front of the wheels. j "Y Signed at Chicago, county of (look, and

"State of illinois, this 30th day of January,

LEWIS l. FUXLLADAY.y 

